The invention relates to an apparatus for loading cuboid articles, especially cartons, onto pallets by means of a palletizer with an articulated arm which is movable up and down and pivotable and with a suction head or the like which is arranged on the end of the articulated arm, the cartons being feedable to the palletizer by at least one feed conveyor.
Cartons of different shapes and sizes are stacked on pallets for transport and storage. The pallets are loaded by automatically operating palletizers which comprise a movable articulated arm with a suction head or another holding means for engaging the cartons. In order to load the pallets, the palletizer is positioned relative to the pallet which is to be loaded in such a way that the articulated arm can engage the cartons which are delivered by a feed conveyor and can load them onto the pallet.
It is known from DE-OS 36 13 089 to increase the capacity of a palletizer by delivering the cartons to be loaded via two separate feed conveyors with vertically adjustable platforms. The cartons are moved from the delivery plane to a take-up plane by means of the platform. As a result, the time which the articulated arm of the palletizer requires for its lifting movement in the course of the loading operation is reduced, which increases the capacity of the palletizer. By delivering the cartons which are to be loaded via two separate feed conveyors, the waiting time between the individual loading operations is reduced.